Kauaʻi record · kba_plant_cecropia_peltata

Trumpet Tree

Cecropia peltata

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About Trumpet Tree

Trumpet Tree (Cecropia peltata) is a post-contact introduced tree documented on Kauaʻi through historical forestry planting records. The reviewed records do not establish present survival. Native from Mexico to northern South America and the Caribbean, especially wet-tropical forest gaps and disturbed sites. A 1980 forestry ledger documents a 1932 Kauaʻi planting; it does not confirm that trees survived or formed a reproducing population.

Kauaʻi evidence

Taxonomic identity, tree form, diagnostic morphology and island occurrence use the linked reviewed sources. Historical planting, cultivation, naturalization and invasive status are separate. Generated imagery is not occurrence evidence.

Names and classification

Scientific name: Cecropia peltata
Common names: Trumpet Tree
Other names: Cecropia peltata · Trumpet tree
Record type: Species

Kauaʻi occurrence and status

Kauaʻi occurrence: Recorded on Kauaʻi
Origin: Introduced
Conservation status: Not yet assessed
Evidence date: 2026-10-06
Evidence limits: Current survival on Kauaʻi, number of trees, occupied habitat, flowering or fruiting, recruitment, population trend, and ecological effects are all unconfirmed; no naturalization or invasive severity is inferred from the historical planting record.

Habitat and ecology

Habitats: Not yet assessed
Food and resource needs: Not yet assessed
Reproduction: The species is dioecious, so both male and female trees and pollination are needed for seed. Fleshy female spikes contain many tiny fruits that can be animal-dispersed; Kauaʻi sex balance, dispersers, and recruitment are unknown.
Shelter: Not yet assessed
Growth form: Tree

Threats and conservation

Monitoring: Not yet assessed
Data gaps: Current population extent and trajectory · Additional species-specific ecological and conservation sources

Process and seasonal context

Seasonal timing: Not yet assessed
Seasonal description: Trumpet Tree (Cecropia peltata) is a post-contact introduced tree documented on Kauaʻi through historical forestry planting records. The reviewed records do not establish present survival. Native from Mexico to northern South America and the Caribbean, especially wet-tropical forest gaps and disturbed sites. A 1980 forestry ledger documents a 1932 Kauaʻi planting; it does not confirm that trees survived or formed a reproducing population.

Sources and further reading

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